Reckless Daughter

A Portrait of Joni Mitchell

Reckless Daughter tells the story of Mitchell and also of the fertile, exciting musical time of which she was an integral part, one that had a profound effect that can still be felt today on American music and the industry.

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David Yaffe has written a fascinating biography of the extraordinary Joni Mitchell. This is a tribute to Joni's genius as well as the genesis of her songwriting and her influence on many of the biggest names to come out of the ‘60's and ‘70's musical renaissance. Highly recommend this book for anyone who is a Joni fan and/or nostalgic about the era!

Having a good laugh over sheojuk's "review". I'm not quite sure but I think writing "some iconic songs" is not that easy and there are plenty of books about all the others who have written "iconic songs" too (and plenty about others who have not). This isn't the greatest book I've ever read, but it isn't the worst. Always fun to see someone insult the author AND the subject!

I'm not sure what book the other commenters were reading, but I found this to be the most disjointed, repetitive, confusing collection of anecdotal fragments and unfinished stories I have ever read. Joni is the ultimate snowflake- every encounter is a slight; her genius is never recognized; every relationship ends in acrimony. Situations are described up to the point of Joni declaring them "intolerable", at which point... they are dropped, and we move on to another song, another lover, another slight. Repeat. Repeat.

Joni Mitchell wrote some iconic songs. So did many other people. The book made me think many of the quotes had been taken from third-party sources, pasted on note cards, shuffled repeatedly, and published as a book. It is disappointing to read others finding this good journalism. I agree with the London Review of Books review that it is one endless gush, and nothing more. Portrait of a snowflake, by a flake.

It is more than rare to find a skilled biographer who is also a well-schooled musician, but in David Yaffe we have both. This is a serious work by a serious writer about a strong, complex, genius of an artist who made solid contributions to virtually every popular genre of music embraced in the second half of the 20th century. This bio is a dream for the serious musician, but is also eminently readable as the portrait of a fascinating and unique individual.

This is the Joni book I've been waiting for: a 3-D chronological telling from many interviews and from her colleagues, especially the jazz guys who worked with her. I am eager to read the second half and have it on hold. Got a great review in the Atlantic.